Attempts to criminalise demonstrations in Spain could change the face of citizen protest, says Juan Luis Sánchez
Spain: The formidable voices of the plazas
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CATEGORY: Europe and Central Asia
Index responds to collapse of Leveson press reform talks
Index CEO Kirsty Hughes responds to the breakdown of cross-party press regulation talks
Financial Times betrays central principle in stance on media freedom
The Financial Times, the Guardian, and the Independent this week shifted their position towards a compromise on press regulation. Index criticises the change of stance, which risks threatening press freedom
Dictatorship: it’s a man’s game
Lukashenko’s Belarus is a perfect example of the machismo and misogny at the heart of authoritarian regimes, says
Maryna Koktysh
Religion in Belarus: no conscience, no freedom
In an authoritarian state, the regime uses loyal religious institutions to impose strict control over society and oppress freedom of conscience. Zmitser Yanenka reports from Belarus
Belarus: Pulling the plug
Europe’s last dictatorship plans even tighter controls over citizens’ access to the digital world, Index shows in a new report
Read the report in full here
Press Release: Internet explosion backfires for Europe’s last dictator
The practice of freedom
The fight for freedom begins with freedom of speech, says Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi
What Russia censored in January
January saw a dramatic escalation of internet filtering in Russia. The League for Internet Safety, an organisation backed by the Kremlin, launched an experiment in the Kostroma region in central Russia in which 29 local internet service providers signed new contracts with users, giving them access only to a sanitised internet – in other words, websites included on a “white list”. Those wishing to surf beyond the confines of the white list are required to notify their provider explicitly. At the start of the experiment the white list included about 500,000 sites; by the end of the experiment, scheduled for April, it is expected to include up to 1 million. The Ministry of Communications and Mass Media has stated that it […]
Belarus media law offers no defence
Europe’s last dictatorship uses violence, repressive legislation and economic discrimination to silence independent journalists. Yanina Melnikava reports
Iran’s attacks on the BBC
Staff at the BBC’s Persian Service face satellite jamming as well as smear campaigns and intimidation, says World Service Director Peter Horrocks